There has been a growing hype in the agtech sector that: “AI will transform agriculture”. From advisories like NPSS (National Pest Surveillance System) to intelligent governance dashboard, AI is perceived as the game-changer from our policymakers to farmers. While this is a compelling vision, it is also dangerously oversimplified. It’s time we ask ourselves the tougher question – are we building for impact or are we doing it for the optics?
Over the past year, while companies like Farmitopia, Plantix have explored computer vision for pest and disease management, companies like Sarvam.ai have displayed potential in terms of reasoning for crop advisories and data-driven policy making. The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) also seems to be a forerunner in adopting AI — from building grievance redressal chatbots like e-Mitra to coming up with a centre of excellence like IIT Ropar. The momentum is real, but so is the fragmentation.
